Green Boy of Summer
by absolutethronestrash
Summary: One-shot. Pre-canon, potential spoilers. Ned Stark misses his sister, and struggles to keep his promise. A bad day at Winterfell sends him into a deep sleep, and within that darkness is a source of unexpected light.


**Green Boy of Summer**

It had been one of _those_ kinds of days again. The kind that start out wonderfully, with clear light, little on the agenda, and the softly falling snows that were a landmark of the North of Westeros. Today had been Robb's twelfth nameday, and Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell had had good intentions for celebration.

It had been a good day, in all fairness, to begin with. Ned had finally deemed his eldest son old enough to wield live steel, something Robb had been all too excited for. Sansa had been her usual polite, radiantly smiling self, while the wildcard young Arya had spent the day following her brothers around, admiring Robb's new sword and trying to swipe food from the kitchens in the rare moments of a lack of supervision. Even little Bran had been well-behaved, and tiny Rickon had seldom been so quiet and smiley as he was held.

Ned couldn't even remember why or when Jon had started going downhill, or why Catelyn seemed in an extra foul mood with the lad. All he knew is that at some point after dinner, he had turned around one of the many corners of the castle of Winterfell, and come across Jon stumbling the other way as fast as his legs would carry him, with tears streaming down his face, while Catelyn glared after him with a look of fury that chilled Ned to the bone.

It had put a dampen on the whole day, really, for Jon had run into Robb, who had tried to comfort him and been conflicted and upset with his mother. Arya had loyally stood up for Jon, which further irritated Catelyn, and Sansa didn't help matters by casually saying that her lady mother must have been provoked by 'their half-brother'. The sisters had gone to bed ratty and tired, Robb cautious and conflicted, and Jon sulky and afraid.

So, once again, Ned had drifted to sleep thinking of Lyanna, and the secret he had promised to keep.

He thought of his sister often. Her life, her death, her whirlwind royal romance and the subsequent events that led her under the crypts, while her son, a young and legitimate prince, was being raised as a bastard and a burden and a lie at the other side of the Seven Kingdoms. Ned had struggled over the years. Struggled to keep the rumours of Jon's mother at bay, for both his sake and Catelyn's. Struggled, in rare moments of moral weakness, not to confess the truth to his wife. Struggled to grieve over the sister who he felt he couldn't talk about, lest he give away too much information. Struggled with the idea that Jon, at the very least, deserved to know the truth…

Sleep overtook him easily, from the events of the day. Ned wasn't one to dwell on dreams, but he knew this one would stay with him forever, and cause him to change.

The dream had started with him walking through the crypts, lighting candles as he went. The huge cavern under the castle appeared less and less menacing as he moved, the soft candlelight riding up the walls and turning cold stone to friendlier familiarities. Ned cautiously made his way past his grandfather, father, Brandon, and finally, Lyanna. He stared up at the rocky likeness, and had just begun to reflect on how the carving looked little like the girl he knew, when the marble started to change. A smile appeared in the likeness, eyes blinked, limbs moved and changed colour and suddenly there was no statue at all, but a young woman with dark hair and grey eyes looking up at him.

"Lyanna," Ned muttered disbelievingly, and then the grief came in a wave. Tears rolled out of his eyes in a way they hadn't since that fateful day at the Tower of Joy. His sister stepped forward and embraced him, and she felt warm, and so _real_.

"What kept you?" he murmured thickly.

Lyanna gave him a rueful smile. "I'm sorry," she said simply. "But I haven't much time. Tell me, how is he?"

Ned knew who she was talking about. "Aloof," he answered. "Shy. Afraid. A bystander."

His sister nodded. "I noticed as much," she said sadly. "I had hoped Catelyn would have grown to accept him by now."

Ned groaned and massaged his temples. "So had I," he said. "I understand that she's hurt and that she wholeheartedly believes the lie, but he's an innocent. I think the only thing she likes about him is that he's a good friend for Robb." He sighed. "She's not an awful woman, Lyanna," he told her earnestly. "To be honest, her treatment of Jon is her only fault."

"Perhaps it's time you told her the truth," Lyanna whispered.

Ned was taken aback. "Really?"

"In strict confidence, of course. I have no reason to believe that she would go blabbing to anyone."

"Would it be worth it, though?" Ned mused. "She wouldn't be able to treat the lad any differently otherwise it would raise suspicion."

"It would be worth it for her," Lyanna said. "And while I agree it would raise suspicion if she was openly affectionate towards him, at least she could stop being openly vile."

"That's true," Ned said, taking his sister's hand. "So long as you're sure."

"I'm sure," she said with a smile.

Ned frowned. "And do you think Jon should know the truth as well?"

Lyanna chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. "When he is mature enough to deal with it," she said eventually. "And he is not, yet. He is too insecure. And just a green boy of summer."

Ned nodded. "I think he has aspirations to join the Nights Watch, you know."

His sister smiled. "Like Benjen."

"Is that wise, though? Given who he really is?"

"It's up to him," Lyanna said with a shrug. "There's honour in joining the Nights Watch. Benjen would protect him, and the old Maester there is Aemon Targaryen. But if he wants to stay at Winterfell, or join his aunt and uncle in Essos, or try for the Iron Throne, or whatever he wants to do, I will be proud of him. It's his decision. But he has the right to know the truth, but when he is ready to take it."

"Of course," Ned said.

"I'm sorry," Lyanna said softly, the wry smile gone. "I know the burden I have put on you and your family."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ned said at once. "There was no other way. Even if you had lived –" his heart gave a painful wrench at the phrase "– it would have probably still had to have happened. Jon would have still had to have grown up away from you and as a lie to escape Robert's wrath." He embraced her again. "I just miss you, is all. So does Ben. And the children would have loved their Aunt Lyanna."

When they separated, Lyanna's eyes were glassy. "I miss you too, Ned," she said. "Look after Jon for me."

"I will," he said thickly through emotion. "And I'll promise I'll tell Cat the truth, and Jon too when the time is right."

"Thank you, Ned," Lyanna said. And to his dismay, she started walking back towards where her statue normally stood.

"Don't go yet!" Ned pleaded hurriedly, quickly following her.

"I'm sorry," she said, standing in position over her grave. "But it's time."

And she was back as stone.

The next thing Ned knew; he was being gently awoken by Catelyn. He could see the moonlight shining in through the window and knew it to be the middle of the night.

"Are you alright?" his wife asked him fearfully. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Ned almost smiled. "I'm fine. Strange dream. Go back to sleep, love." He stared at the ceiling. He would keep his promise to Lyanna, even if it wasn't necessarily real. He would.

 **A/N:** Thank you everyone so much for reading. I also want to thank everyone for the continued support of my other story, even though I finished it several months ago it is still getting lots of lovely comments and views and I am beyond grateful.

I literally do not have time to write fanfiction at the moment as I am so busy with college work, so hopefully this little story will do until I am finished. It has literally taken me two months just to get this little one-shot done. Let me know if you guys like it and maybe I can do a sequel? Idk.

Anyway, thanks again. Until next time.


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